Personal Budgets Research Articles

Personal carbon trading in mobility may have positive distributional effects

Personal carbon budgets and trading (PCT) is an innovative and ground-breaking downstream policy, which locates rights to and responsibilities for emissions at the individual level. In addition to emission reductions, it may also provide a method for earning and evening out the income distribution. The economic impacts of PCT for a single person depend greatly on the method of allocating emission rights. Currently, it is not known how the economic impacts for various income levels differ between different allocation methods. Herein, we present a PCT model for mobility and various methods for allocating emissions rights. The economic impacts on various income levels are calculated based on Finnish statistical mobility data and using a PCT pilot in the city of Lahti. Results show that greenhouse gas emissions from mobility are lower for people with a low income, and PCT could provide additional income and even out the income distribution. The financial benefits and payoffs depend on the carbon cap, carbon floor price and emission right allocations. The results of this study provide basic information on how PCT can be put into action, what options there are for emission allocation, and how PCT can be used to even out the income distribution.

Influences of service characteristics and older people\u2019s attributes on outcomes from direct payments

BackgroundDirect payments (DPs) are cash-payments that eligible individuals can receive to purchase care services by themselves. DPs are central to current social care policy in England, but their advantages remain controversial. This controversy is partly due to their lack of historical visibility: DPs were deployed in stages, bundled with other policy instruments (first individual budgets, then personal budgets), and amidst increasing budgetary constraints. As a result, little unequivocal evidence is available about the effectiveness of DPs as an instrument for older people’s care. This study aims to partially fill that gap using data obtained during an early evaluation of DP’s that took place between 2005 and 07.MethodsSemi-structured 81 face-to-face interviews with older people (and their proxies) using DPs are analyzed. DPs contribution to outcomes was measured using a standardized utility scale. Data on individual characteristics (dependency, unpaid care) and received services (types and amount of services) was also gathered. Multiple regression analyses were performed between measured outcome gains and individual and service characteristics. A Poisson log-functional form was selected to account for the low mean and positive skew of outcome gains.ResultsLevels of met need compared very favorably to average social care outcomes in the domains of social participation, control over daily living and safety, and user satisfaction was high. Benefit from DPs was particularly affected by the role and function of unpaid care and availability of recruitment support. The freedom to combine funded care packages with self-funded care enhanced the positive impact of the former. The ability to purchase care that deviated from standardized care inputs improved service benefits. Large discrepancies between total care input and that supported through DPs negatively affected outcomes.ConclusionsThe results offer clarity regarding the benefit derived from receiving DPs. They also clarify contested aspects of the policy such as the influence of unpaid care, types of care received, funding levels and the role of wider support arrangements. Tangible benefits may results from direct payments but those benefits are highly dependent on policy implementation practices. Implementation of DPs should pay special attention to the balance between DP funded care and unpaid care.

From remote work to digital nomads: tax issues and tax opportunities of digital lifestyle

Abstract With spread of remote work, digitalization of economy and gig economy, a new class of entrepreneurs arose – digital independent workers. Its ulterior form so far is digital nomads, who travel the world with limited or no fixed abode – and this is not a marginal group. Existing tax rules based on residence criteria do not suit these well: remote work severs ties between budget revenues from personal income tax and budget spending on local infrastructure, gig economy disrupts PAYE system, and digital nomads are at risk of being tax residents nowhere, and may not enjoy the same tax regimes as regular settled employees. This paper estimates the tax potential of digital independent workers, reviews their income structure, personal tax issues related to digital lifestyle and the solutions various countries employ to tax the income of these digital independent workers. The PAYE taxation of income of digital independent workers proposed by Russian politicians and internet companies seems to disregard the variety of that income. Digital independent workers prefer to register as sole proprietors or self-employed and enjoy special tax regimes where possible, but further research is necessary to manage their tax behavior, improve relevant tax control and solve double taxation issues.

Personal budgets for people with disabilities: A systematic review of the literature, Marco Terraneo, Mara Tognetti Bordogna, Concetta Russo

Personal budgets for people with disabilities: A systematic review of the literature, Marco Terraneo, Mara Tognetti Bordogna, Concetta Russo

ОЩАДЛИВІСТЬ У СТРУКТУРІ ФІНАНСОВОЇ ТА ЕКОНОМІЧНОЇ ГРАМОТНОСТІ ОСОБИСТОСТІ

The article considers the main components of frugality, the functions of savings and their role in the daily life of economic entities — households, savings and investment connection and role of investing in the formation of state financial system. An example of effective personal budget management is given. The main tendencies of frugality development in Ukraine are revealed

ПЛАНУВАННЯ ОСОБИСТИХ ФІНАНСІВ В КРИЗОВИЙ ПЕРІОД

In this publication we provide tips to help strengthen personal finances in a crisis situations. It should be noted that as part of state programs aimed at increasing financial literacy, it is especially important to monitor the literacy and quality control of financial activity of the population in terms of combating various forms of financial fraud targeting people’s savings. Improving financial literacy of the population is one of the main ways to improve the management of personal finances, which does not require significant costs. We analyzed the research of both foreign and domestic scientists on these matters. Household financial planning should begin with the planning and compilation of a personal budget or a family budget. Optimization of personal expenses after their detailed analysis is rationalization. Rationalization of personal expenses should be carried out on the basis of research of current and perspective needs of the individual to define the unnecessary expenses and search for the ways to save purchasing certain groups of goods or services. Helping to control and eliminate emotional purchases, thereby minimizing the impact of inflation on own costs. Low financial literacy of consumers of retail financial services, the presence of asymmetric information in the relationship between providers and consumers of the services in the financial market create favorable conditions for various abuses and financial crimes. The concept of financial inclusion is considered, which in our opinion is a driver of economic growth and an important factor of social equality in the modern world. Central banks and other financial market regulators, international organizations, and other market players have emphasized the importance of financial inclusion in recent decades. We have selected a list of basic tips from financial advisors on managing and planning personal finances. In Ukraine, more than a third of the population remains outside the financial system. This indicates their separation from the economy of the state and society as a whole, lower level of efficiency of money management and financial security. The vocation of financial scientists is to bring to the public the basics of financial awareness and help solve many issues that arise, both in personal finance and at the state level.

Budget Education and Management as a Necessity for Well-Being and Financial Stability: Cluster & MDS Analysis

From antiquity to modernization, the budget is portrayed as one of the main factors in economic and social life. This paper analyzes the relationship between education and budget management as a necessity for well-being and financial stability. This shows that the use of knowledge during the budget cycle management depends on the education and combination of many factors coming from the environment where the individual or family operates. Here it is explained how Cluster and MDS analysis in interaction with other statistical tests explain the similarities or the differences between the observation groups from Kosovo, Western Balkan countries and European Countries (KO & EU & WBC), related to emergency funds, saving, registration of transactions of revenues or expenditures, financial decision-making, control and budgetary practices. The research is argued from empirical findings giving a new approach through detailed recommendations for variables of observation groups on the personal budget.

Методика оценки финансовой грамотности поведения военнослужащих

The article is of a scientific and applied nature and is devoted to the description of the methodology for assessing financial literacy of military personnel behavior and its psychometric research. Instructions and incentive material of the questionnaire, normative values and interpretation of diagnostic scales are given. The questionnaire was tested on a sample of 526 military personnel of the Military University of the Ministry of defense of Russia. The proposed method allows us to evaluate the personal characteristics of military personnel, which have a Central influence on their financial behavior. In addition to the integral indicator - "military personnel's Propensity to financially literate behavior", eight partial characteristics are defined – financial awareness; the desire to look financially secure; the desire to plan a personal budget; a propensity to financial risk; attention to spending money and shopping; a propensity to financial savings; financial responsibility; financial self-control. The method allows you to predict the financial behavior of military personnel. Innovative diagnostic tools can be successfully used in psychoprophylactic work with the personnel of law enforcement agencies, as well as psychologists-researchers in the field of economic psychology.

The relationship of personal budgets with independence, participation and quality of life; a secondary analysis of survey data using propensity score matching

ObjectivesPersonal budgets for social and health care have been introduced in many European countries over recent decades. The assumption is that people with a personal budget are able to purchase care that matches their needs more closely and therefore experience greater independence and improved well-being. The question is whether this assumption is true. Little research has been carried out on this and the research that has been carried out is inconclusive and hampered by methodological limitations.MethodsWe performed a secondary analysis of data collected in a survey among persons who had submitted an application for social support. Propensity score matching was used to investigate whether people with a personal budget experience better independence, participation in society and quality of life than comparable people using conventionally organised help.ResultsAfter matching, no significant effects of the personal budget were initially found. A sensitivity analysis that excluded the variable sense of mastery from the calculation of the propensity scores, showed a significantly greater independence for those using a personal budget.ConclusionThere may be several reasons for this lack of effect. First, perhaps there are no effects. It is also possible that effects can only be found in specific situations and/or specific groups.

Family carers managing personal budgets for adults with learning disabilities or autism

Accessible summary Direct payments can help people with learning disabilities or autism to have good support. Often, family carers manage the direct payments for people who would find this very difficult. We asked family carers who managed direct payments to tell us why they decided to do this and what their experiences were. Family carers told us they found managing direct payments difficult and stressful at first, but this got easier over time. They also said that direct payments helped their family members to have more person‐centred support. AbstractBackgroundThere are a growing number of people with learning disabilities and autism who access personal budgets in the form of direct payments in England. Although they are often involved in decisions about their support, personal budgets are usually managed by someone else, typically a parent. This study examined the experiences of carers who manage personal budgets for adults with learning disabilities or autism with a particular focus on the challenges of securing suitable support and implications for their own well‐being.MethodsThis was a qualitative study using a descriptive phenomenological approach to investigate the lived experiences of family carers who manage personal budgets. We conducted semi‐structured interviews with 13 family carers. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed using the framework approach.ResultsOur analysis identified five main themes. The first theme relates to why carers decide to take up a personal budget in the first place and their initial expectations. The second theme, restricted choice, highlights the difficulties in securing adequate support and services in the context of what are often described as “complex needs.” The third and fourth themes relate to the tasks involved in managing a personal budget and the challenges associated with the dual role of the carer as a parent and a “professional.” The fifth and final theme, mixed emotions, describes the impact on the subjective well‐being of carers.ConclusionsFamily carers indicated that the benefits of personal budgets outweighed the difficulties and stress inherent in managing them. They need adequate support to ensure that personal budgets deliver personalised and self‐directed support and greater well‐being, and are sustainable arrangements.

Economic Situation of the Population Amidst Post Pandemic. Findings of the 5th Social Monitoring (June 18–21, 2020)

Findings of the fifth stage of monitoring (June 18–21) based on online survey on the social situation and population’s behavior amidst coronavirus demonstrate that pandemic-induced economic risks for the state are assessed by the majority of respondents as important although cause less alarm in the contest of lifting the lockdown mode. The number of those who think that the pandemic significantly jeopardizes their personal material state is gradually falling. Those respondents who have a job express more confidence in the future, less preoccupation with the threat to personal and household budget than those who lost their job. However, in the current situation more than half of all surveyed predict deterioration in their financial situation in the near future. Material support measures are considered by every other respondent as insufficient. Recipients of additional handouts and benefits indicating their small amount demonstrate high level of dissatisfaction with current social assistance.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of using the TBX6-associated congenital scoliosis risk score (TACScore) in genetic diagnosis of congenital scoliosis

BackgroundWe previously reported a novel clinically distinguishable subtype of congenital scoliosis (CS), namely, TBX6-associated congenital scoliosis (TACS). We further developed the TBX6-associated CS risk score (TACScore), a multivariate phenotype-based model to predict TACS according to the patient’s clinical manifestations. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether using the TACScore as a screening method prior to performing whole-exome sequencing (WES) is more cost-effective than using WES as the first-line genetic test for CS.MethodsWe retrospectively collected the molecular data of 416 CS patients in the Deciphering disorders Involving Scoliosis and COmorbidities (DISCO) study. A decision tree was constructed to estimate the cost and the diagnostic time required for the two alternative strategies (TACScore versus WES). Bootstrapping simulations and sensitivity analyses were performed to examine the distributions and robustness of the estimates. The economic evaluation considered both the health care payer and the personal budget perspectives.ResultsFrom the health care payer perspective, the strategy of using the TACScore as the primary screening method resulted in an average cost of $1074.2 (95%CI: $1044.8 to $1103.5) and an average diagnostic duration of 38.7d (95%CI: 37.8d to 39.6d) to obtain a molecular diagnosis for each patient. In contrast, the corresponding values were $1169.6 (95%CI: $1166.9 to $1172.2) and 41.4d (95%CI: 41.1d to 41.7d) taking WES as the first-line test (P < 0.001). From the personal budget perspective, patients who were predicted to be positive by the TACScore received a result with an average cost of $715.1 (95%CI: $594.5 to $835.7) and an average diagnostic duration of 30.4d (95%CI: 26.3d to 34.6d). Comparatively, the strategy of WES as the first-line test was estimated to have significantly longer diagnostic time with an average of 44.0d (95%CI: 43.2d to 44.9d), and more expensive with an average of $1193.4 (95%CI: $1185.5 to $1201.3) (P < 0.001). In 100% of the bootstrapping simulations, the TACScore strategy was significantly less costly and more time-saving than WES. The sensitivity analyses revealed that the TACScore strategy remained cost-effective even when the cost per WES decreased to $8.8.ConclusionsThis retrospective study provides clinicians with economic evidence to integrate the TACScore into clinical practice. The TACScore can be considered a cost-effective tool when it serves as a screening test prior to performing WES.

Personal budgets and the pedagogical project of care institutions in Flanders

ABSTRACT The care for disabled people in Flanders is currently undergoing a major social policy reform under the introduction of a personal budget scheme. Disability services in Flanders are explicitly expected to develop a demand-driven provision of care services. This transition stems from the urge for autonomy and self-determination of disabled people and is aimed to deinstitutionalise the care for people with disabilities. The central question addressed is the way in which the introduction of personal budgets influences the ability of Flemish care institutions to shape their practice. Our findings depict that care institutions emphasise the importance of a dialogical process, in which different views of ‘good care’ can be discussed. However, in policy implementation, a particular focus on ‘a self-aware and autonomous individual’ as an objective would make this process more challenging. Our analysis identifies how a far-reaching focus on autonomy and self-determination does not guarantee high-quality care. Nor would the opposite: major autonomy for care institutions. Rather than balancing the negotiating positions, the Flemish personal budget scheme tends to push disability services into an executive role in which the possibilities of a pedagogy as an emancipatory project shrink.

Budget overestimation when dealing with an uncertainty goal

We conducted 2 studies (N = 86 and 248) to examine people's tendency to overestimate their personal budget. The findings support 3 hypotheses. First, about 35% of participants in our first study tended to overestimate their budget when dealing with an uncertainty goal. Second, we found that focalism played a mediating role in this relationship. Third, in our second study we found that temporal distance positively moderated this relationship: The distant future strengthened the effect of dealing with an uncertainty goal on budget overestimation, whereas the near future attenuated it. These findings shed light on the cause and internal mechanism of consumer budget overestimation. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Personal budgets in adult social care: the fact and the fiction of the Care Act 2014

ABSTRACT Personal budgets have been heavily promoted in government policy in England as a means of increasing the personalisation of public services, particularly in the field of adult social care. The Care Act 2014 for the first time creates a statutory requirement for personal budgets to be allocated to all individuals using state funded social care. This article examines how a particular rhetoric has developed in social care policy around personal budgets, which draws freely on the language of the disabled people’s movement and suggests that grassroots ideas are the central purpose for the introduction of personal budgets into policy. It considers whether the promises made in policy are embedded in the 2014 Act and finds that there is a mismatch between claims in social care policy on the one hand and the model of personal budgets created by the 2014 Act on the other. It concludes that the policy rhetoric around personal budgets directly appropriates the language and ideas of the disabled people’s movement while promoting a wholly distinct agenda of public sector marketisation.

Lessons from Ricoeur’s ‘capable human being’ for practices of personalisation in three European countries

Personal budget schemes for people with disabilities are imbued with a conception of autonomous and rational individuals. The policy objective to enlarge people’s opportunities conflicts with the presumed capacity of cognitive rationality. We present an analysis of 15 social work professionals’ reflections on the practical implementation of three personal budget policies. Through a conceptualisation of ‘a capable human being’, we deepen our understanding of the social justice character of personal budget schemes. From this analysis we conclude that a strong formalisation of the application, assessment and allocation practice entails the risk that the relational aspect, which includes questions of meaningful care, is relegated to the background. ‘Being capable’ emerges as a condition for acquiring more options for meaningful care in practice, ahead of the intended contribution to people’s capacities. The continuous attention is required for autonomy in interdependency to be recognised. Points of interest Personal Budget Schemes for people with disabilities are systems that seek to achieve a socially just care system in which autonomy and control are central. Our analysis showed that people with disabilities who need any form of support during the process are granted access to a personal budget much less easily. Management of access in terms of ‘the right provision of a budget’ for ‘the right person’ has a greater weight in practice than the meaning of this access to personal budgets. This results in unequal opportunities for people in need of support in the process of getting a budget. The research recommends that involvement of social work professionals is of great importance for realising ‘good care’ for all.

Neoliberalism, accounting, and the transformation of subjectivities in social work: A study on the implementation of personal budgets

AbstractThis study examines, through the case of Personal Budgets in England, the role of accounting in transforming the subjectivities of social workers through a Foucauldian lens. The findings show how accounting can reshape the subjectivities of social workers serving as intermediaries responsible for the frontline implementation of neoliberal reforms. It does so through an empirical demonstration on how accounting harnesses an individual's autonomy and responsibility to nurture “productive” relationships between citizens and the state. Furthermore, the findings also highlight the vulnerability of social workers’ subjectivities from the installation of an accounting infrastructure with multiple capabilities. This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how neoliberal policies transform subjectivities in social work and adds to the literature on accounting's biopolitical role in the reconstitution of such subjectivities. It also addresses the relative neglect of studies examining the role of accounting in neoliberal transformations of social work that, despite its significance for an ageing society and its attendant consequences for public finances, receives far less attention than healthcare reforms.

Neoliberalism, Accounting and the Transformation of Subjectivities in Social Work: A Study on the Implementation of Personal Budgets

This study examines, through the case of Personal Budgets in England, the role of accounting in transforming the subjectivities of social workers through a Foucauldian lens. The findings show how accounting can reshape the subjectivities of social workers serving as intermediaries responsible for the frontline implementation of neoliberal reforms. It does so through an empirical demonstration on how accounting harnesses an individual’s autonomy and responsibility to nurture ‘productive’ relationships between citizens and the state. Furthermore, the findings also highlight the vulnerability of social workers’ subjectivities from the installation of an accounting infrastructure with multiple capabilities. This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how neoliberal policies transforms subjectivities in social work and adds to the literature on accounting’s biopolitical role in the reconstitution of such subjectivities. It also addresses the relative neglect of studies examining the role of accounting in neoliberal transformations of social work which, despite its significance for an ageing society and its attendant consequences for public finances, receives far less attention than healthcare reforms.

BEHAVIORAL FINANCIAL DECISIONS OF THE POPULATION IN THE PROCESS OF CONSUMPTION

Introduction. The financial decision-making process depends not only on objective economic factors and motives; it is often under the influence of behavioural factors and subjective perceptions of situations. Consumption, as a continuous process of acquiring goods and services, has become an integral attribute of public life and a significant item of expenditure of personal and family budgets. Therefore, understanding the behavioural effects that affect the financial behaviour of consumers is an important step towards conscious consumption and rational spending of personal funds. The purpose is to theoretical analyse the influence of behavioral factors on the financial decisions of citizens in the field of consumption in order to reduce their negative effects and optimize consumer spending. Methods. System of general scientific and special research methods were used in the article. Methods of analysis, synthesis and generalization were used for the study of literary, statistical and Internet sources on the research topic; visualization method were used for visual presentation of the processed data; abstract-logical method - for generalize the presented material and formulate conclusions. The method of questionnaires and sampling, methods of statistical analysis and comparison were used for evaluate the financial decisions of households in Ukraine. Results. The article presents that using of an “intuitive” system of making financial decisions in the process consumption leads to unconscious and irrational spending of personal funds. The author generalized theories of behavioral finance and systematized the behavioral factors that influence citizens' financial decisions, namely: heuristics, emotions, framing, market influence, psychological accounting and loss perception. It has been proven that due to the lack of time for detailed information analysis, people make decisions under the influence of heuristics, such as the bandwagon effect, possession and anchoring. In such cases, money is spent irrationally and consumption becomes unconscious, as it is stimulated by marketing technologies and manipulations. Behavioral factors of emotional influence (excessive self-confidence and greed) also push the population to unjustified financial risks. Author offer to improve state policy in the field of management of personal financial resources in way to help citizens avoid the negative impact of behavioral factors and make informed financial decisions. Perspectives. The subject of further scientific research is the search and in-depth study of ways to effectively use personal funds in the field of lending and investing in the context of behavioral theories.

Skill mix: The potential for personal assistants to undertake health-related tasks for people with personal health budgets.

Personal health budgets (PHBs) are being promoted in England as expanding the benefits of choice and control to individuals with healthcare needs. National Health Service (NHS) money is provided to eligible people to use as set out in approved care plans, including direct employment of personal assistants (PAs). The government plans to increase NHS-funded PHBs and to further introduce integrated personal budgets (IPBs). This potentially creates more demand for directly employed or self-employed PAs with health-related skills. The objective of this paper is to report findings from interviews with PAs (n=105) and key informants (n=26) from across England, undertaken between October 2016 and August 2017, about the potential for the PA workforce to undertake 'health-related' tasks as facilitated by the introduction of PHBs. PAs were purposefully recruited to ensure the sample included participants from different geographical locations. Key informants were purposefully selected based on their knowledge of policy and community services. Data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. This paper focuses on reporting qualitative findings, which are set within the theoretical framework of normalisation process theory to explore implementation challenges of PHBs. The majority (64%) of PAs confirmed that they saw their current roles as congruent with PHBs, were willing to engage with PHBs and undertake health-related tasks. However, 74% of PAs said they would need additional training if enacting such roles. Key informant interviews appraised the development of PHBs as complex, noting incongruences arising from NHS and social care-funded PAs carrying out similar roles within different organisational systems. We conclude the current PA workforce is willing to take on PHB work and is likely to interweave this with work funded by PBs and self-funding care users. Implications include the need for careful consideration of training requirements and delivery for PHB-funded PAs.